SEFFNER, Fla. — Tennessee 2018 quarterback commit Michael Penix was the talk of Thursday’s high school football jamboree at Armwood High School on the outskirts of Tampa.

“That Michael Penix, he’s really ‘The Guy’ here in Tampa,” a fan was overhead saying on the sideline. “Tennessee got a great one, but people are going to keep going after him.”

No doubt, Penix passed for 2,087 yards last season with 32 touchdowns and just one interception, a model of efficiency for Tampa Bay Tech.

“Tennessee is going to get a great leader, a guy who is high on confidence and ability, but more important than anything, he makes everyone around him better,” Tampa Bay Tech coach Jayson Roberts said.. “It’s because of his demeanor; he doesn’t let anything get under his skin, he stays the same whether he throws an 80-yard bomb or Pick-6.

“He’s cool, calm and collected, and that’s what you need leading your team.”

Penix was 4-for-5 passing for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Tampa Bay Tech to a 35-0 win over Strawberry Crest in a two-quarter scrimmage.

Penix’s ultra-smooth operation of the offense — under center and in the shotgun — drew the attention of the dozen or so college coaches present as well as the hundreds of fans who turned out on a breezy 90-degree afternoon.

After the game, Penix walked by the college coaches in their various colored and designed golf shirts — school logos over the left side of their chests.

All of the coaches made sure to offer him a greeting, even though he has been committed to the Vols since April 22.

“I talk to Coach (Mike) Canales every night, and I’ll get on the phone with him after this interview and let him know how the game went,” said Penix, who turned 17 earlier this month and is already standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 190 pounds. “We have a great relationship, he really likes me, and I really like talking to him.”

Tennessee assistant Robert Gillespie was the first Vols coach to discover Penix at last year’s spring jamboree,, and it wasn’t long after that offensive coordinator Larry Scott was down to the Tampa area to visit with Penix.

Penix came up to Knoxville for camp last summer, and immediately, he hit it off with Coach Butch Jones and fell in love with the program.

“I love coach Butch, he’s real cool and real laid back, just like coach Canales, he says the best players will play,” Penix said, “and he’s going to have discipline with his players, and I like that.

“Tennessee felt like the right place, and I’ve been up there three times,” Penix said. “I loved the camp and atmosphere, the coaches are great and the fan base is amazing, so it felt like the right place.”

Penix said the Vols’ coaches told him from the get-go that they planned to sign two quarterbacks in the 2018 class, so the recent commitment of California quarterback Adrian Martinez has not fazed him.

“The coaches told me they were going to take two quarterbacks in the class, they were up front with me,” Penix said. “It doesn’t bother me, because I’m going to look to compete with whoever is wherever I go.”

Penix comes across as being wired very much like 2016 SEC pass efficiency leader and Athlon SEC Offensive Player of the Year Josh Dobbs, who’s now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I watched a lot of Tennessee and Josh Dobbs, even before they were recruiting me,” Penix said. “Josh is a very smart quarterback and I liked watching him play.”

Dobbs wasn’t a running quarterback in high school, either — that part of his game evolved in Jones’ modified spread offense.

Penix is also a pass-first quarterback at this stage of his career, even though it’s obvious he possesses great athleticism.

“I am Pro Style, but I can run,” Penix said with a smile. “When I scramble I’m looking to throw before I’m looking to run because I want to get the ball into the playmakers’ hands.

“We go shotgun, we go under center, and we’llgo spread, it’s a complex offense,” he said. “I make a lot of reads based on what the defense is showing me, make sure we’re in sync and running the right plays.”

Richard said Penix’s abilities enable the Titans to open up their offense.

“Having a guy like Mike allows us to do so much and be as creative as we want to be,” Richard said. “We can go under center, get in the gun or do some RPO stuff, because he’s bright enough to be able to do that and make decisions at the line.”

Penix has a 7-on-7 tournament at the IMG Academy the same weekend as Tennessee’s junior day, but he plans to come to the Vols’ camp.

“If they want me to throw for them, I will,” said Penix, who estimates he can throw a football 70 yards on the fly. “Yes I keep getting recruited by others, but I just try to stay focused on what I need to do and what I want to do at Tennessee. Right now, as of May 18, 2017, I’m 100 percent committed to Tennessee.”

Penix said he doesn’t let any of the pressure associated with being a Vols’ quarterback commitment get to him — and doesn’t even view it in that light.

“I wouldn’t call it pressure because no matter who is looking, I’m always going to do my best,” Penix said. “.I’m always going to give 100 percent for my team, I’ll never fall short for them, no matter what the situation.

“If something happens, I’ll do my best to bounce back and make sure we get back on the right track.”

Below is Michael Penix’s Facebook Live with SEC Country — the wind interrupted a couple parts of it:

Tennessee 2018 QB commit Michael Penix talks about his spring football game and recruitment